Competing for Talent? Take a Close Look at Your Organization’s Benefits

Nearly one-third of organizations increased their overall benefits offerings in the last 12 months. Has your organization?

The competition for talent often leads to an uptick in the benefits space as organizations use benefits as a recruitment and retention tool. According to SHRM’s newly released 2017 Employee Benefits report (bit.ly/2swSinH), those organizations that added to their benefits offerings were most likely to do so in the wellness and health-related benefits areas. For example, more employers are using health savings accounts (HSAs) than ever before (an increase from 42% in 2013 to 55% in 2017). Along with the rise in the use of these accounts, more employers are also contributing money to employees’ HSAs.

Longer-term benefits trends revealed increases in the following areas:

• 62% of organizations now offer telecommuting, and we’ve seen telecommuting on an ad hoc basis increase over the last five years, with 59% now offering it as an option.
• Standing desks had the greatest increase over a five-year period, rising from 13% in 2013 to 44% in 2017.
• Health care benefits for part-time employees increased, with one-third of organizations now offering coverage, compared with 27% in 2014.

Evren Esen, SHRM-SCP
Director, Workforce Analytics, SHRM

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